Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5 Update

The Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5 update – like all the major patches that have come before it – will add a range of new and useful features into the Minecraft world. From basic interface tweaks to the addition of a modding API, here is a list of things players can expect with Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5:

-New Command Block: The Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5 update will add a Command Block that will run server commands after being activated by redstone current. This feature is intended for adventure maps, although it can be used wherever. This special type of Command Block can only be obtained through the /give command, and it can target random players, a specific player, or all players. The commands will also run silently, which means that they won’t appear in the chat window. Commands include the ability to toggle PVP, change the spawn point of players, enable or disable game rules, change the weather or time, and plenty of other commands.

-Addition of a modding API: Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5 will add a modding API (Application Programming Interface). Modders can use this modding API to create “plugins”, according to a tweet by Nathan Adams (@DinnerBone). Plugins will basically just be mods that are created using the modding API.

-Any entity can now use portals: Cows, Mine Carts, Ghasts, and any other entity can now use End Portals and Nether Portals. Entities will travel through portals just like players, although they will experience a longer cool-down period. This also works the other way – fire entities like Blazes can now leave the Nether through the Nether Portal to start burning things in the world.

-Wooden button: A new wooden button can be activated by arrows, making it easy for players to remotely activate various machines or contraptions

-New potions: Two new potions have been added in the Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5 update, including the Night vision potion and the Invisibility potion. The invisibility potion will hide the player’s nametag, and mobs will not see invisible players until they bump into one another.

-Expanded village system: According to @DinnerBone, villages and villagers will be more “self-aware” after Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5. Players will have to wait to find out exactly what that means. The village system has also been expanded to allow players to restore a desolate village to its former glory or to create a completely new village from the ground up.

-Beacon Blocks: A new type of block called the Beacon Block (also known as the Work in Progress block) will be introduced in Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5. The Beacon Block can be right-clicked to reveal an interface, and players can use this interface to assign a range of effects. Beacon Blocks will glow brightly when placed on top of a pyramid, and they’ll work best when placed on a 164 block pyramid mixed with iron, gold, diamond, and emerald blocks. Players can choose to apply effects like Speed, Resistance, Strength, and Regeneration.

-Increased pig control: Players can now craft a carrot with a fishing rod in order to control pigs.

-Zombies are more dangerous: In Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5, zombies will be able to pick up items they find lying on the ground and then equip them. To make zombies even more challenging, they will now infect villagers during an attack. Villagers are immediately converted into zombies after an attack, and baby villagers who have been infected will turn into baby zombies. Fortunately, zombie villagers can be cured by throwing a splash potion of weakness at them before right-clicking on them with a golden apple.

-Armor and weapons for mobs: Skeletons and zombies will not carry and drop enchanted armor as frequently. Instead, they’ll most commonly drop leather armor. In addition, zombies will carry various types of weapons, and sometimes, these weapons will be enchanted. Players will only be able to loot this gear from zombies and skeletons if the zombies and skeletons are actually wearing it when they’re attacked.

-Village like and dislike system: Players can now become liked or disliked in a village. If villagers see the player killing someone or letting a villager die, they will start to dislike you. On the other hand, if you save the villagers from harm and trade with them frequently, they’ll start to like you more. When players are disliked by a villager, that villager will refuse to trade. When players are liked by a villager, they’ll have access to better trade options.

-Skeleton skull decorations: This feature has been hinted at, but it hasn’t yet been confirmed. Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5 will add new decoration blocks, and one of those blocks could be a skeleton skull. After players kill a skeleton, the skeleton will drop a placeable skull that players can use for decoration.

-Item frames: Items can now be displayed on the side of a block thanks to the frames feature. Item frames can be used to display any items, although maps, compasses, and clocks will have special abilities in the frame. For example, maps, when placed in a frame, will display detailed cartographical information.

-New flower pots: New flower pots have been added in Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5, including flowers, cactus, grass, mushrooms, saplings, and more.

-Leather armor can now be dyed: Players can dye their leather armor with nearly 17 million potential colors.

-Expanded map functionality: Maps can now be cloned and shared among Minecraft players, and players can craft larger maps by adding more paper. In other words, maps are crafted at a close zoom scale, and when players add more paper, that scale will be zoomed out to add more area to the map.

These are all the features that have been announced by the developers so far! Visit the Official Mojang website for more information, or follow Minecraft developers on Twitter @DinnerBone, @jeb_, and of course, @notch.

The Minecraft 1.6.4/1.7.2/1.7.4/1.7.5 update is set to be released on October 31, 2012, just in time for Halloween.